he's #96

I'll tell you how I came to meet #96.

Last night, my sister and I were cooling off at Koto, waiting for the sun to set before we ventured out the door to see which Four Season Market vendors had braved the heat and set up their tents for the evening. 

The sun was taking its sweet time so we took ours. 

I write often about bars because I like them so much.  The wood, the marble, the mirrors, but mostly the beautiful bottles.  Each one is handsome and when they're lined up, filling a bar shelf, it's a spectacular sight to me.  I find an odd sense of order and calm, sitting in view of them, whether by myself or squeezed in an elbow-room-only crowd. 

There are no made-for-movie moments; a despondent guy hunched in the corner nursing his wounds and a beer.  Rarely is there a tipsy barfly.  Instead you'll find very interesting people talking about all kinds of interesting things.

#96 came in for Pad Thai. 

We guessed he was a football player.  A prior NFL player, Quartez Vickerson now plays Arena Football for Chicago.  There's a match against Dallas tonight.  I'll tune in if it's televised, maybe even root against the home team.

I heard Dallas reached a record high of 107* yesterday.  It didn't feel that hot to me.  I was sitting at a cool bar, having a chilled wine, talking to a very interesting defensive lineman about all kinds of interesting things.

Dallas Vigilantes vs Chicago Rush

American Airlines Center  7:30